Exam 5: Selecting Research Participants

Describe cluster sampling and identify some strengths and weaknesses of this technique.

A researcher wants to obtain a sample of 30 preschool children consisting of 10 two-year-old children, 10 three-year-old, and 10 four-year-old children. Assuming that the children are obtained from local daycare centers, this researcher should use ____ sampling.

The technique of quota sampling is most similar to ____ sampling.

If every possible outcome is equally likely during sample selection, then the sample is said to be _____.

Psychology majors at the state college consist of 40% males and 60% females. The psychology department is conducting a survey of its majors and obtains a sample by randomly selecting students so there will be 20 males and 30 females from the list of psychology majors. What kind of sampling is used in this example?

Explain two disadvantages of proportionate stratified random sampling.

Under what circumstances is a stratified random sample the most appropriate sampling method?

The workers in a factory are organized into five-person teams. When conducting a work-environment survey, a researcher randomly selected 10 teams to obtain a total sample of 50 workers. The researcher used ____ sampling.

Selection bias is likely to produce a sample with characteristics that are noticeably different from those in the population.

The major advantage of a simple random sample is that it ensures that ____.

A researcher recruits a sample of 25 preschool children for a research study by posting an announcement in a local daycare center describing the study and offering a $10 payment for participation. What kind of sampling is the researcher using?

Explain how quota sampling can be used to simulate stratified random sampling or proportionate stratified random sampling in situations where the entire population is not known.

Explain why researchers feel reasonably comfortable using convenience sampling when this technique is likely to produce biased samples.

A major goal of research is to ____ from a small group of participants included in a study to the larger group from which they came.

A researcher recruits participants for an experiment by posting an announcement in the psychology department asking for volunteers. What kind of sampling is being used?

How does convenience sampling compare to probability sampling?

Simple random sampling guarantees that the sample will be representative of the population.

The most commonly used sampling method in psychological research is probably ____ sampling.

The primary advantage of a stratified random sample is that it ____.

Why is probability sampling rarely used in behavioral science researcher?